14. Know your weapon—its shooting character-istics, its safeties, and its loading and unloadingprocedures.15. Never indulge in horseplay when carrying afirearm.In addition to observing these safety precautionswhen handling and using firearms, you should takesteps to protect your hearing and sight, particularlywhen you are exposed to repeated small arms fire suchas that on a rifle or pistol range. Blast noise from smallarms fire may cause a temporary or permanent hearingloss. The extent of injury depends on a number offactors, such as intensity of the noise, length ofexposure, and your own sensitivity to noise hazards.Two general types of personal ear protectivedevices are used to reduce noise and thus protect the ear.These are the insert type (earplug) and the circumauraltype (covers the entire outer ear). The circumaural typeis sometimes referred to as Mickey Mouse ears.If you work in a noise hazard area, you may befitted with a pair of earplugs. It’s important to have theplugs fitted by a qualified member of the medicaldepartment because each person’s auditory canals area different size and structure.The Mickey Mouse ears (fig. 11-1) are made withrigid plastic ear cups lined with foam, plastic, or rubberto provide a comfortable seal around the outer ear. Thecups are connected over the head with an adjustablespring type of headband for a snug fit.Protecting your sight is as important as protectingyour hearing. The Navy has several types of safetyglasses and goggles that provide adequate protectionfrom the danger of small arms. They range from thestandard safety goggles used in everyday work toprescription safety glasses.When you are on the range, use these protectivedevices so that you will always be able to see and hearthe full spectrum of sounds and sights you see and heartoday.REVIEW 1 QUESTIONSQ1. When handling a firearm, you should NOT takewhich of the following actions?a. Always treat a weapon a if it were loadedb. Never point a weapon at anything or anyoneyou don’t intend to shootc. Carry the weapon by the muzzle as long as thesafety is ond. Never engage in horseplay when carrying afirearmQ2. List the protective equipment you should wearwhen firing a weapon.a.b.THE M14 RIFLELearning Objective: When you finish this chapter, youwill be able to—Identify the M14 rifle.The 7.62-mm M14 (fig. 11-2) rifle is a lightweight,air-cooled, gas-operated, magazine-fed shoulderweapon. It was widely used during Vietnam. Sincethen, it has since been replaced by the M16. It isdesigned for semiautomatic or automatic fire atthe rate of 750 rounds per minute. The rifle ischambered for the 7.62-mm NATO cartridge and is11-2Figure 11-1.—Circumaural (Mickey Mouse) type of earprotector.Student Notes:
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